Various devices and tools are used in connection with hunting; however, as described herein, these devices and tools have various drawbacks that hinder the hunting experience and results thereof. Examples of some of the drawbacks of each device and tool are separately described.
Autonomous Trap Magazine
Shotgun shooters routinely utilize clay target throwing devices to hone skills necessary to hit moving targets while the targets are in flight. A variety of clay target throwing devices are available to the consumer ranging from hand-operated manual throwers to electrically driven autonomous traps which can launch multiple clay targets simultaneously. Lightweight, portable autonomous traps allow a single shooter the convenience of clay target shooting unaided by a helper, and this style of trap can be easily set-up quickly in the field to mimic specific shooting scenarios. Autonomy is aided by a remotely-located, push-button switch which, when pressed, cycles the trap to launch the clay target. A universal feature of autonomous traps is the hopper in which multiple clay targets are simultaneously stacked prior to the onset of the shooting session.
Each clay target in the stack is gravity fed into the trap separately and automatically, eliminating the need for the shooter to repeatedly reload the trap between shots and freeing the shooter from remaining near of the trap during a shooting session. In the case of portable autonomous traps, the hopper is typically disassembled for transportation and storage of the trap. At the shooting site, the hopper must be assembled and mounted onto the trap using hand tools prior to the trap's use. However, clay targets cannot be loaded into the hopper until the hopper is mounted on the trap.
Weathercocking Arrowhead
Broadhead arrowheads include several sharpened blades arranged circumferentially about an arrow tip and may be utilized extensively in the dispatching of medium and large game. In general, there are two types of broadhead arrowheads. The first type is a fixed-blade broadhead arrowhead, incorporating blades that are rigidly attached to the tip of the arrow. The blades of the fixed-blade broadhead arrowhead may be permanently attached to the arrow tip, or they may take the form of replaceable blade elements which can be individually replaced when damaged or dull. The main advantages of the fixed-blade broadhead arrowhead are simplicity and reliability. The main disadvantage of the fixed-blade broadhead arrowhead is that the maximum span of the blades must be kept relatively small to mimic flight characteristics of an arrow equipped with an axi symmetric field point arrow tip that has no blades. The latter is widely used in archery practice and training exercises. The second type of broadhead arrowhead is a mechanical broadhead arrowhead, and it generally may include blades that are held in a streamlined position when the arrow is launched and while in flight. Upon impact, the blades rotate radially outward from the central axis of the arrow to increase the effective span of the arrowhead during penetration and creation of the wound channel. One advantage of a mechanical broadhead arrowhead is that the maximum span of the expanded blades can be greatly increased over that of a fixed-blade broadhead arrowhead. A second advantage is that prior to impact, the blades remain in the closed position; therefore an arrow equipped with a mechanical broadhead arrowhead will closely mimic the flight characteristics of an arrow tipped with a field point arrowhead. However, these advantages come at the expense of mechanical complexity and system reliability. To be effective, the mechanical broadhead arrowhead must remain in the closed position during launch and flight and must also expand symmetrically and completely during the penetration event.
An examination of the relevant aerodynamics of an arrow in flight follows. An arrow can be described with respect to three major components: the tip, the shaft, and the fletching. During flight, an arrow is subject to disturbances (for instance, when launched from a poorly tuned bow) which may cause the arrow to oscillate about its center-of-gravity (cg) centrally located at a point on the shaft centerline between the tip and the fletching. As the arrow oscillates, a transverse force due to lift is generated at the tip that when multiplied by its distance forward of the cg produces a destabilizing overturning moment about the cg. Similarly, a transverse force generated by the fletching multiplied by its distance aft of the cg counteracts this destabilizing moment by providing a larger, corrective stabilizing moment about the cg in opposition to that generated by the tip. As long as the stabilizing moment is greater that the destabilizing moment, the arrow will tend toward self-correction, i.e., the central axis of the arrow will align with the intended flight path. Thus it becomes clear why a conventional fixed-blade broadhead arrowhead must be limited in blade span; the larger the blade span, the greater the destabilizing overturning moment produced and the less stable the arrow becomes. If the blade span becomes so large that the destabilizing moment produced forward of the cg is greater than the stabilizing moment produced aft of the cg, as the flight progresses, the arrow will increasingly deviate from the intended flight path.
Smoothbore Shotgun Slug
Slugs designed to be fired from a smoothbore shotgun barrel are typically less accurate than slugs designed to be fired from a shotgun having a rifled bore. Several reasons exist for the inaccuracy of slugs fired from smoothbore barrels. One major reason for the inaccuracy is that the smoothbore slug typically lacks adequate static margin, which can be defined as: (Xcp-Xcg)/L*100%, where Xcg is the axial location of the center of gravity measured from the nose of the projectile, Xcp is the axial center-of-pressure also measured from the projectile's nose, and L is the axial length of the projectile. If the static margin is small or negative (for example, less than 5%), the projectile can easily be diverted from the intended shot line due to a lack of longitudinal stability. Small static margin values are inherent in slugs intended for a smoothbore shotgun barrel, as these slugs are low in aspect ratio and cylindrical in form, and this form does not accommodate means for shifting of the center of pressure rearward as required for increased stability. In addition to limited static margin, another major reason for the inherent inaccuracy of a slug fired from a smoothbore barrel is that no roll moment, or an inconsistent roll moment, is imparted to the slug. Induced rolling reduces impact dispersion by averaging out asymmetric forces imposed on slug during launch and while in flight.
To increase accuracy, many shotguns intended for sporting purposes originally fitted with a smoothbore barrel can be retrofitted with a rifled-bore barrel; however, the cost of the rifled-bore barrel can be of the same order as that of the original shotgun. Along with the cost, another downside to installing a rifled shotgun barrel is that the shotgun then becomes a special purpose firearm intended for use against medium to large game, thus limiting the type of game that can be pursued during an outing in the field. Even though smoothbore shotgun slugs are less accurate, they have the advantage that usually no alterations to the shotgun are necessary. This allows a shotgun having a smoothbore barrel to retain the flexibility of taking both small and large game merely by changing ammunition.
Quick-Detachable Multi-Purpose Accessory Mounting Platform
When hunting with a firearm, it is convenient to have accessories such as a flashlight, infrared spotlight, and/or a remote dog training transmitter easily at hand. This can be accomplished by mounting accessories on the firearm within easy reach of the shooter's non-trigger hand, and in an orientation that allows for immediate operation during the act of both carrying and shooting the gun. Furthermore, conditions such as weather, terrain, intended quarry, day/night or night/day transitions, etc. may change during a hunt. The ability to quickly attach or detach various accessories from the firearm, or to quickly attach or detach the entire mounting platform (with the accessories remaining attached to the platform) allows the hunter to better adapt to the changing conditions. Quick-detach firearm-mounted accessories are in common use for military-style firearms which routinely include features such as integrated Picatinny rails for that purpose. However, in contrast to military-style firearms, firearms intended for sporting use are typically not factory-equipped with mounting points for such accessories.
Glock Magazine Release Button Removal Tool
The as-issued magazine release button on a Glock pistol is often replaced, or in the case of left-handed shooters, reversed, to offer the shooter better operational characteristics when changing magazines. The button is usually operated by pressing inward with the thumb of the shooter's dominant hand, with the motion of the button being transverse to the line of fire. The standard button head on a Glock pistol is relatively small and mounted nearly flush with the frame surface such that operation of the button under stress or during extended training sessions can become difficult. Aftermarket replacement buttons typically offer increased button head surface area, and they may increase the operational travel via greater offset of the button head from the frame.
The release button is held in the frame by a vertically oriented, cantilevered, straight steel rod spring inset into a “V” shaped cavity located in the forward face of the pistol frame's magazine well. The fixed end of the spring is held captive by the cavity walls at the narrow end of the cavity near the bottom of the magazine well. The free end of the spring is located higher up in the magazine well where the wider end of the “V” shaped cavity allows room for the free end of the spring to travel side-to-side. The free end of the spring is contained within a slot in the magazine release button which has an opening near one end to allow the installation of the spring' s free end into the slot. The free end of the spring elastically bends side-to-side to initially resist the motion of the release button when depressed, and to return the release button to its original position when released.
Removal of the free end of the spring from the slot in the magazine release button occurs to replace or reverse the release button. Flat-bladed screw drivers and dental picks are common impromptu tools which are used to manipulate the free end of the spring toward, and out of the open end of the slot. Access to the spring can only be had through the top or the bottom of the magazine well, which severely limits access to the spring, and causes poor purchase between the impromptu tool and the side of the spring. In many instances, damage to the polymer frame occurs when the impromptu tool slips away from the spring and strikes the edge of the molded spring cavity; the resultant burrs raised on the inside of the magazine well can adversely affect the release and retention of the magazine.